Creator of the Keys
by Destatii
Summary: [ O N E . D O W N ] » The disappearance of [ S O R A ] spells out predicaments for everyone. What chain of consequences are created by this and why is this occurring in the first place? « [ A . G R O T E S Q U E . P R O M I S E . OF . R E V I V A L ]
1. P R E L U D E :: Silent Plea

° **Creator of the Keys **°  
_- - » P R E L U D E ::_

- Silent Plea -

" **_How does it feel? Your darkness? Isn't it so magnificent? "_**

-

Hushed whisperings of shadows sounded as they skittered throughout the room. The rustle of darkness sounded so great, so deafening in the area. Nothing except for the simple purrs of the shades spoke out against the heavy, thick dark. Not a trace of light could be seen in the room, only the slight illumination given off by the neon orbs of the creatures as soft mews of noise left their mouths.

A single figure in the corner sat soundly, leaning against the corner almost peacefully as the shadows clustered around it and sank against its reassuring warmth, savoring the strange heat the emitted from that one body. Cold met warm, and yet the figure continued to sleep soundly until their eyes snapped open and lips, lit up only by the small amount of light given off by the eyes of the creatures, quirked into a satisfied smile. They parted and released forward a haunting tune, a melody that would have instilled pure fear into a regular person, but they weren't regular. Nor were the shadows. They all relished the haunting, gentle croon of the music happily, embracing it lovingly and utterly.

"_My little pets sing tonight, of happiness, of joy…"_

An echoing, wispy voice whispered out in the dark, singing along to the melodic, but macabre tune of the song. There was nothing more than that small croon and the contented hums of the shadows, and that, more than anything, made the room seem more eerie and ethereal than anything else.

"_They sing of the warmth, they sing of the cold…"_

"…_They sing of all there is to be told…"_

-

Sapphire blue eyes snapped open.

Sora breathed heavily as he lay in bed, staring upwards at the ceiling above. His spiked hair was completely slicked with sweat, and his skin was drenched with perspiration. Yet, as he laid there, he could not recall a thing about the nightmare that had just been occurring. The only thing he heard was that haunting composition of macabre and hor—

"_They sing of the moonlight…"_

He shivered at the icy words that caressed at his ears. The melody… so horrific, so ghastly… and yet…

He _loved_ it.

Sora brought his arms closer to his body, hugging himself as he sat up and rocked back and forth, playing a hushed tune in his mind to take away the coldness that suddenly seemed to envelope him and block that terrible melody that seemed to reiterate in his ears.

"I'm _not_ going crazy," he whispered, rocking to and fro. "I'm not… I'm not… I'm _not…"_

"_And they watch the night…"_

A soft purr of noise thrummed abruptly from his window. Sora jerked suddenly, hurriedly turning to face to window. He wasn't going crazy… this seriously wasn't happening—what _was _happening to him anyway—_why_ was this happening? There was _something_ here, _something_ here… and this _thing_ was here to do _something_… And Sora finally faced the window, and—

Nothing.

There was nothing at all. The only thing at the window was the billowing curtain, fluttering due to the passing breeze of the night. Though the window was open, the moon soothed his nerves with its appeasing light, making him smile despite all the fear he was enduring—all the fear that was bubbled up inside him and being held back only by the little self-control that remained within him.

Sora felt himself completely relax before he leaned back against the headboard of his bed, muscles loosening and his soul calming.

There was nothing there after all. Nothing there to get him. He _was_ only thinking too hard after all…

The brunet's blue eyes briefly flickered to a painting that hung on the wall of the disaster that was his bedroom. Although the floor was completely strewn with clothes and objects of all kinds, the only thing that hung on the walls was some shelves and that single painting. A momentary shiver raked through the fifteen-year old's body as his eyes scoured over the surface of the painting. In it was a door. Just a door. And yet it was so_… strange._ The door held such an arcane, esoteric, _mystifying_ aura of gruesome horror and repulsion, yet it seemed so _beautiful._ Such beauty encompassed the door, making it both so exquisite and dangerous. It was tall and glimmering in the darkness of the painting, the only thing to be seen in it aside for the marble floor and the surrounding shadow. The top was gnarled into the slender shape of an oddly familiar heart-like object.

Sora found himself staring at the painting for what felt like an everlasting eon, seeming drawn to it. The door gleamed ominously from its position in the canvas; challenge him to ogle it even longer. And temporarily, he thought he saw a brief flicker of shade on the door itself.

But nothing was there.

The adolescent forced himself to tear his reluctant gaze away from the magnificent work of art and push himself farther into the headboard, pulling the covers over his shoulders. He unconsciously rubbed his cold hands. He hadn't noticed the sudden drop in temperature until now.

How…

…_Strange…_

Sora swallowed again and felt a string of memories flow violently through his mind, recalling how he had received the painting.

"_Sora?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_I saw this **beautiful** painting while I was out shopping for some new clothes…"_

"_You're **always** shopping, Kairi." He laughed._

_She smiled sheepishly but held out a wrapped parcel. "I didn't actually buy any clothes. The painting used up all the money I had with me. But it was so enchanting… I **had** to buy it. And I wanted to give it to you. To thank you for everything you've done for me." She smiled again, gently pushing the wrapped bundle into Sora's arms. "Take care of it, 'kay?"_

"_Thanks, Kairi."_

"_No… **I** should be thanking **you.** Thank **you,** Sora."_

_Sora accepted the package happily._

"_It's getting late now," commented Kairi, blue eyes looking at the setting sun for a moment before looking into Sora's eyes again._

"_I'll see you tomorrow then, okay, Kairi?"_

"'_Kay. See you tomorrow, Sora! Tell Riku I said that, too!"_

"_Sure. Bye!"_

Sora blinked, shaking his head furiously to force the distracting memories away. If he didn't get any sleep now, he might as well decide to _not_ meet up with Riku and Kairi tomorrow.

The coldness of the room was beginning to get to him now. He shivered, and pushed the covers off him, getting off the bed to stride to the window. Reaching his hands out, he was about to pull the windows shut when the _same, exact_ purr from before sounded again.

From behind him.

Sora whipped his head to look at what laid behind him and was greeted by a pair of glittering cobalt eyes.

"Hello, Sora," the owner of the eyes spoke out in a rich, melodic whisper of voice. "Looks like you have an unexpected visitor, hm?"

"W-who are _you?"_ Sora countered rather rudely. Still, the way the temperature seemed to drop even more made him feel even more anxious by the second. And the way the voice seemed so familiar made him shudder slightly.

"That's not for you to know… yet…"

A hand curled into his hair, holding him in place, and the icy sensation of claws surrounded him. The freezing chill was so soothing; it spelled slumber for all those who felt it. Sora's eyes drooped, and he collapsed forward—straight into the person's arms, eyes closed in sudden fatigue.

"How does it feel? Your darkness? Isn't it so magnificent?"

'_One down.'_

With that, they turned, departing within the cloak of the darkness, taking with them a currently vulnerable, sapphire-eyed boy with spiky brown hair.

The same ghastly, macabre melody from before began to float into the air again, gracing the world with its beautiful, but grotesque presence.

"_The shade seems so thick in this darkness…"_

"_But nevertheless… we savor the coldness."_

_**A promise of no release…**_

_Find him… and you'll face **me.**_

_**Death? Heh. That's going to be **guaranteed** for you.**_

_Your fellow Keyblade master is gone now._

_**One down… one down… one down…**_

"Sleep on, Sora. Sleep on."

And a silent scream of anguish screeched out into the dark night, unrelenting and unwavering, heard solely by those who knew it was there. Now, he wouldn't meet up with Riku and Kairi tomorrow. Would he ever meet up with them again?

-

- - - - **_Author's Notes:_**

_That turned out scarier than I planned, but I like it that way. Anyway, feel free to review. For some reason, I just love this chapter. This is the rewrite of the original, due to the fact I was dissatisfied with the previous, but I'll continue writing this one, so long as I know people like it. Therefore, review, and I **might** just submit my chapters faster… Hehe. But anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this prelude._

- - **De_s_**_t_**at**_i**i**_ - -


	2. P H 1 :: A Lost Child

° **Creator of the Keys **°  
_- - » P H A S E . O N E ::_

- A Lost Child -

"**_I woke up and realized… it was all actually real… "_**

-

One…

_Two…_

Three…

_Four…_

_FIVE._

One by one, each of his senses began to return to his sluggish mind. First came feel, bringing with it burning sensations of the heated sand around him and the water lapping gently at his legs. Second came smell, coming to him in a tumble of scents: the salt of the ocean, the crispness of the sand, and the freshness of the air. Third was taste, conveying a sequence of bitter flavors in his mouth mixed with the taste of saliva. Fourth was his hearing, transporting a series of rustles, the crunching of sand, and the swooshing of water into his system. Last to return was his vision.

A raging torrent of images slid sickeningly into his mind, bringing a deluge of colors and lines. A cataract of detail poured into comprehension. The beige color of the sand came to him before anything else, then the tiny outlines of all the grains of sand underneath him. The grains sent a tingling feel surging through his sore body.

With a soft groan, the boy pushed himself up slowly with the little strength that remained in his arms, trying to get up. His spiked brown hair wavered in the heavy wind that blew about near the ocean as he tried. But there wasn't enough strength remaining in his body. He collapsed back upon the ground in a pitiable heap.

Azure eyes hardened as he stared at the sand. Why did it seem so familiar here? He had honestly never been to _this_ island before—heck, he had _never_ been to an island before—and yet here he was, currently enduring that hunch that screamed the area was familiar.

"_They sing of the moonlight and they watch the night…"_ he whispered breathlessly, recalling a strangely familiar song he had heard before. Now, it seemed to hold such importance. _'Why?'_ he thought, compelling himself to sit up. Swaying slightly when he managed the feat, the boy wet his chapped lips and moved onto the next verse of the haunting song.

_"The shade seems so thick in this darkness… but nevertheless, we savor the coldness…"_

A faint frown tugged at the edges of his lips. He couldn't remember the next verse of the song…

Maybe he was just making this song up or something.

A low sigh past through his parted lips. Eyebrows furrowed in thought as he concentrated on recalling the next verse, or, if that wasn't possible, making one. Several moments passed in silence. And what were his results?

Nothing.

He couldn't remember _anything._

A frustrated growl was the next noise he made.

Abruptly, the ache that squeezed that his sore body returned and he flinched. Then came a shout.

It sounded so _relieved, _so _happy,_ that he blinked several times. The sheer amount of emotion held in that single word as it was called out seemed overwhelming. So many feelings pulsed in the word, rippling wildly through the air and floating closer and closer to him. He had _never_ heard that much emotion in a lone word.

**_"SORA!"_**

He didn't know what a "Sora" was, but he looked toward the source of the word. The fifteen-year old's gaze was slowly drawn to two figures running toward him in the distance. One was a female with red, auburn hair and deep blue eyes glimmering with unshed tears. Her face was distorted in great relief. The other was a male, judging by his appearance. Silvery hair flapped violently behind him as he ran, aquamarine eyes fixing on _him._

Suddenly, the female leapt and tackled him back to the ground, the loud _slosh_ of water sounding around them. He choked instantaneously, attempting to shove her off, but her grip was like steel. Unbreakable.

"Get… off…" he hissed defensively.

The girl's eyes widened briefly and she drew back, staring at him with her now widened eyes. The male rounded on him immediately.

"Where _were_ you, Sora?" he snapped, eyes narrowing.

The girl chose to add to his statement, exclaiming, "We were really worried about you when you disappeared!"

"STOP CALLING ME SORA!" he yelled, stumbling backwards, confused tears filling his eyes. "I don't know you! Leave me alone!" He choked again, and ran, splashing through the water and scrambling past the two towards the safety of the trees. He wanted to go somewhere, _anywhere._

He just didn't want to be _here._

"Wait! Sora!" cried the girl, reaching a hand out toward him. Confusion and hurt was visible on her features as she called out.

Without warning, the male took off after him, easily catching up. There was no way he wouldn't, due to the fact that "Sora" was exhausted and unable to run very well at all. The sixteen-year old grabbed hold of the other boy's shoulders and spun him around to face them.

"Why can't you leave me _alone?_" the brunet breathed, trembling. "…I don't know any of you, so what do you want with me?"

"…If you're not Sora," said the silver-haired adolescent in a shaky voice, "then who are you?"

The boy's voice died in his throat as he paused. Did he even _have_ a name in the first place?

And then it came to him.

"My name is _Azura_."

"_The sky, the azure…"_

He whipped his head around, listening to the wispy voice that suddenly spoke. But there was no one there except for the three of them.

"Az…ur…a…?" mumbled the girl, stepping closer to them. "Then where's Sora?"

"Tell me who _you_ guys are first!" Azura shouted, pulling away so that no one was touching him. "Tell me!"

Azura couldn't help it, but he was terrified. He was in a place he had never been in before, and there were now two people currently interrogating him about some person obviously named "Sora". The fear sizzled inside him, and momentarily, the brunet felt his insides churn in anxiety. His eyes still shimmered with some tears, sparkling with slight panic. His lips were curved into the same frown from before, only, it indicated more fear than exasperation.

"I'm Kairi. My friend here is Riku," introduced the girl nervously. "So… do you know where Sora is?"

Azura hesitated, knowing the what he told them would make them feel even more melancholic. In a meek, timid voice, he mumbled, "No." And without watching to see their reactions…

_He ran._

They didn't follow.

Azura didn't know how much he ran, but it felt like an eternity before he stopped to catch his breath. It was now that he finally took the time to examine his surroundings. The area was silent, and he was alone. The ocean was before him, making its soothing swooshing noises as he waited there.

"…I don't want to stay here…" he murmured under his breath tiredly, plopping himself onto the ground, pulling his legs up to himself and hugging them to the rest of his body. Azura stared into the horizon, watching as the ocean water wrinkled before him as it moved continuously.

Several moments passed in silence before Azura stood to his feet, wobbling slightly, still feeling the ache that seemed to linger on him. He stumbled to the stone wall behind him, supporting himself using his hands so he wouldn't fall. His wish to leave was so strong, bending his mind with yearning to depart as confused tears blurred his vision.

'_I want to leave…'_

'_I can't stay here…'_

'_Why is this all happening?'_

'_Why can't I remember anything?'_

With a shaky breath, a solitary tear cascaded down his cheek, falling to the sand.

And at this moment, a black vortex opened before him in the stone, staring at Azura with its swirling, murky depths. In surprise he released a yelp and staggered backwards, gaping at the object with astonishment.

"P-portal?" he whispered, stepping forward again and hesitantly pushing a hand in. His hand slid through the cloudy essence, and a cold sensation swept through his fingertips, spreading through his arm and to the rest of his body and bringing a chill to his stiff form.

'_My only way out…'_

Azura shut his eyes tightly and stepped into the portal, letting the essence embrace him. He turned around, staring at the view of the island before him until the darkness closed completely over his vision, taking him away.

A string of words unexpectedly swept into his mind, making him recall something familiar. He opened his mouth, letting a fragment of a song fill the air.

"_My escape lies within renaissance. Take my hand and we'll reform a true guise."_

-

Riku stared at Kairi's trembling form on the bed as tears slid down the girl's face and wet the sheets around her. He sighed, before turning and leaving the room. She had collapsed into tears when Azura said he wasn't Sora. Riku had brought her here so she could recollect herself.

'_Sora can't be gone…' _he thought fiercely.

Pursing his lips, the silver-haired male swiftly made his way to Sora's house, forcing the door open. Strangely, it creaked ajar without protest, indicating that it wasn't locked. "What—" he gasped as he stepped inside, shivering uncontrollably.

It was so…

_Cold._

The room was absolutely freezing. Riku exhaled unsteadily, trying to calm the erratic beating of his pounding heart as he made his way toward the stairs. Then he paused.

_Sniff…_

He turned away from the stairs, blinking as his ears picked up a prickle of sound. Riku stepped to another door, pushing it open slowly to reveal the living room. In a crumpled heap upon the ground was Serra.

Sora's mother.

Striding tentatively to the sobbing woman, Riku placed a cautious hand on her shoulder. "Serra? Are you all right?"

A hand blindly swatted his off her shoulder. Serra sobbed, "My Sora, he's gone! _Gone!_ He's gone! Again!" She sniffed sadly before slowly turning her head to face Riku. As she did this, Serra cried, "Riku have you—"

Out of the blue her voice lowered to nothing more than a malicious whisper.

"—seen him…"

And then her particles dispersed, flinging themselves apart before joining up together to create a new shape.

A neo-shadow peeked up at Riku with its glowing yellow eyes, jet-black body wobbling slightly before sliding into the ground and swiftly darting away as nothing more than a shadow. Riku watched in horror, gawking at where Serra had once been.

He released a cord of rather colorful words before dashing at top speed out of the room and up the stairs to Sora's room.

'_Don't tell me that Sora…'_

'_No… no way…'_

He swallowed so hard it was audible as he pushed the door to Sora's room open, taking a peek inside. Riku shivered again. This room must have been the coldest in the house. It was _absolutely_ freezing.

So _cold…_

Riku entered silently, letting his eyes comb through the room. Nothing was out of the ordinary. The bed was undone, as usual, the window was open, as usual, and there was a painting on the wall, as usual—

Wait.

Painting.

Sora had never put a painting up before. Was this the thing that Kairi mentioned she had gotten for him?

He walked to the painting and reached a pale hand out, tracing the door depicted in the picture carefully before he felt something at his leg. Spinning around immediately, Riku cursed when he saw a shadow Heartless there, clawing at his leg. Swiftly, the male summoned his Keyblade, "Way to Dawn", and sliced it in half. The Heartless' atoms diffused and faded from existence, destroying it. He breathed a sigh of relief before turning back to the painting when a flash of black was seen from the corner of his eye.

Shadows were materializing around him, completely covering the room. Riku was amazed at the sheer amount of Heartless that were now in the room.

He turned to face the crowd surrounding him, before rushing forward to destroy them. His Keyblade, brandished tightly in his hand, arced forward and slashed through the feeble, helpless bodies of a flock of the Heartless around him. A lunging Heartless met its doom the second it leapt towards his head when he sliced the Keyblade upward, successfully splitting the Heartless and therefore killing it.

The battle went on.

The only noises in the room were the squeaks of dying Heartless, the whoosh of a lethal weapon slicing through air and shadow, and the rustles of movement created by the many entities in that single room.

Exhaustion was advancing on Riku, reaching out for him with its thorny, unwanted vines to ensnare him in its hostile grip. His grip on the Keyblade slowly loosened, and out of fatigue it dropped to his side as he panted to catch his breath. At this action, the shadows seemed to grin and double their efforts in striking him. The weight of small bodies slowly covered the boy as he became buried beneath their numbers.

"No!"

But struggle was _futile._

Dozens of claws rose into the air in unison before swishing down.

For the killing blow.

The one that would take his _heart._

However, amidst the battle taking place was a soft whisper, no louder than the whir of curtains waving in wind.

"Riku…"

And then all the Heartless vanished from the room.

Not a single piece of the inky darkness that once surrounded him dawdled. Riku breathed heavily, sitting up and staring out the window.

"What the _hell_ just happened…?"

Riku turned to the door just in time to see the slim figure a girl standing there, her expression urgent. Her blonde hair and blue eyes stood out just as much as the white dress she wore. On the contrary, the sketchbook and pencil she held in her hands were far more noticeable to him.

"Riku, hurry! The Heartless are coming again!"

With that, her form shone unsteadily and reverted back to the figure of Kairi, who offered a brief smile. "Just thought I'd let Naminé take over for a while and help you." Riku nodded before standing. Naminé was quite powerful when armed with her sketchbook and pencil due to the fact she could completely alter situations by simply sketching a picture out in her book.

Together, they hurried out the door.

But just then, a dark figure materialized in the room, idly drumming her fingers along the windowsill of Sora's room as she stared at the retreating backs of the two adolescents. A hidden sneer curled at her concealed lips. A sharp caw sounded from the crow perched upon her shoulder as she swept around, adjusting her staff on the ground.

"Pathetic fools."

And neither one of the two running teenagers heard this.

-

All was silent in the dark room.

A pair of solemn eyes gazed out the open window and directly at the glowing moon outside. Soft words echoed in the nothingness of the room.

"I woke up and realized… it was all actually real… "

A sad smile graced their lips as they sang out sorrowfully in the night.

"_My escape lies within renaissance. Take my hand and we'll reform a true guise."_

**'_One down.'_**

-

- - - - **_Author's Notes:_**

_Ohmygosh! Destatii **actually** decided to update! Wow! …Okay. I'll admit that that was for a dramatic effect. But anyway, did you all enjoy that? Feel free to review if you wish, I love those. Did this chapter confuse you or did you all just like it? If you are reviewing and if you want to, I'd like you all to include what drew you to read this story, how much you like it, and what it is you like about this story in your review. Thanks._

- - **De_s_**_t_**at**_i**i**_ - -


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